Maria.

"Davian, what’s going on here?"

The voice came from the doorway, calm but alert.

Damien stepped into the room, his presence immediately drawing everyone’s attention. His eyes moved quickly across the space, clearly sensing the heavy tension that filled the air.

It was impossible not to feel it.

The kind of tension that sat thick in the chest, making every breath feel slightly heavier.

Damien’s gaze moved from Davian to Noah, reading the hostility in their stances. Then his eyes shifted again...and landed on me.

I stood behind Noah, half shielded by his broad frame, my fingers still lightly gripping the back of his shirt. The moment Damien noticed me there, his expression sharpened slightly.

His brows pulled together in a faint frown.

Before he could say anything else, Davian spoke first.

"It’s Noah causing a scene," he said bluntly, his tone carrying clear irritation. "Because of the same woman our brother took an arrow for."

The words landed like a stone dropped into still water.

The room seemed to grow even quieter.

Damien’s gaze immediately snapped toward Noah. The shift in his attention was sharp, deliberate.

For a brief moment, he simply stared at him.

"Noah..." Damien said slowly, his voice carrying the calm authority of someone used to being obeyed. "What exactly is the issue?"

Noah let out a short scoff, the sound was dry, almost mocking. "The issue?" he repeated, his head titling slightly as if the question itself was ridiculous. "Well, ask your brother."

Davian’s jaw tightened at the remark.

Damien’s patience, however, seemed to thin instantly.

"Noah!"

The sudden rise in his voice cut through the room like a whip crack.

Everyone went still.

Damien rarely raised his voice, and when he did, it carried a clear warning.

"What has gotten into you?" he demanded.

His tone held more frustration than anger, but the tension behind it was obvious.

For a moment, it seemed like Noah might respond, kike he might throw another sharp remark back at them.

But instead...he did something completely different.

He ignored Damien.

Without another word, Noah turned slightly and grabbed my hands.

His grip was firm.

Before I could react, he began pulling me toward the door, the sudden movement catching me off guard.

My feet stumbled slightly as I followed him.

Behind us, the rogues stepped aside quickly to clear the path.

Noah didn’t even slow down.

As we crossed the doorway, he threw one last command over his shoulder.

"Be quick with the search!"

His voice was sharp and authoritative.

Then he pulled me fully into the hallway.

The room disappeared behind us as the door remained open, leaving the quadruplets and the rogues inside.

The sound of our footsteps echoed against the corridor walls as Noah continued walking, still holding my hands tightly as he led me away.

"Thank you, Noah."

The words left my lips quietly as we moved farther down the hallway, the noise from the room behind us slowly fading into the distance. My voice was soft, almost hesitant, but it carried the sincerity I felt.

Noah slowed his steps slightly and glanced at me.

"For what exactly?" he asked.

His tone wasn’t dismissive, but there was a hint of confusion in it.

"I just couldn’t bear them looking down on you," he continued after a moment. His jaw tightened slightly as if the memory of the confrontation still irritated him. "And trying to make it so obvious that Adrien took an arrow for you."

The mention of Adrien made my chest tighten.

I lowered my gaze for a moment.

"I..." I started, but the words refused to come out.

Noah suddenly stopped walking, he turned to face me fully now, his eyes intense.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath. "It’s just an arrow, Maria." His voice carried a strange mixture of frustration and emotion. "I can take one for you too."

My eyes widened slightly.

"I don’t even mind dying to..."

"Ssshhh!"

Before he could finish the sentence, I immediately lifted my hands and covered his mouth.

My palms pressed firmly against his lips as I stared at him, my heart suddenly racing.

"Don’t say that, Noah," I whispered urgently, my brows drawn together as I shook my head slightly. "You aren’t permitted to die."

The words came out more serious than I expected.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

My hands were still covering his mouth, his eyes were fixed on mine.

The hallway around us felt strangely quiet.

Too quiet.

Something about the way he was looking at me made my heart beat faster and before I could even process what was happening, Noah suddenly moved.

His hands came up and gripped my waist firmly, pulling me closer to him in one swift motion.

The unexpected movement caused my hands to slip away from his mouth.

In the next second....his lips were on mine.

The kiss was sudden, intense and it felt like everything he had been holding back exploded into that single moment. He kissed me deeply, passionately, like the world around us had completely disappeared.

Like nothing else mattered.

For a brief second, I froze.

The shock of it stole my breath.

But the warmth of him, the urgency in the way he held me, quickly pulled me in.

When I finally came back to my senses, I responded without hesitation.

I kissed him back with the same intensity.

My fingers curled into his shirt, gripping the fabric as I pulled him slightly closer, as if the distance between us was unbearable.

It felt impossible to get enough of him.

The moment wrapped around me so completely that everything else faded away.

Until.....the voice.

"Maria!"

The loud voice echoed sharply through the hallway. The sudden sound shattered the moment like glass breaking.

I pulled away instantly, my breath uneven as reality rushed back.

Noah and I turned at the same time toward the source of the voice.

But the moment I saw who it was....I hissed under my breath.